Red Cross to Aid 6,000 expectant Mothers

Posted Wednesday, February 24 2010 at 16:02 (from THE MONITOR ONLINE)

6,000 expectant women in Uganda are to benefit from a specialized reproductive health project implemented by the Uganda Red Cross Society.

Catherine Ntabadde, the public relations officer of the Uganda Red Cross Society, says the women and children targeted are from the districts of Gulu, Pader, Kitgum and Amuru. She says they will be provided with education on good health and sanitation, professional pre- and post-natal care and medication.

The goal of the project, which is co-sponsored by the Japanese Red Cross Society, is to increase awareness on safe motherhood and to reduce the instances of child and maternal mortality in the four northern Uganad districts.
Michael Nataka, Secretary General of the Uganda Red Cross Society, says selected health center will be given basic maternal health related items for midwifery services. He says meetings will be held every three months to assess the improvement of services at the health centers in order to ensure that as many women as possible are benefiting from them.

Additionally, the Red Cross will train 60 volunteers in safe motherhood to support this initiative.
According to the Ministry of Health 435 of every 100,000 expectant mothers in Uganda die at child birth. The deaths are attributed to poorly equipped health units and ignorance on maternal health on the part of the mothers.